About

Steppin’ Out Dance Studio began in 1995, evolving out of the historic Betty May Dance Studios which served the children of the Mission District since the 1930’s. Together Angela Rose and Avilee Goodwin continued the Betty May tradition while expanding her vision. New dance styles such as hip hop, creative movement, and contemporary have been added to the repertoire.

Through our history, Steppin’ Out has striven to offer the young people of the neighborhood a place to learn dance technique, improve grace, poise, self-esteem, and gain performance experience in a nurturing atmosphere. We give children and young adults an outlet to express themselves freely through dance.

Angela Rose Dorantes is the current owner of Steppin’ Out Dance Studio and continues to expand the vision of her mentor, Betty May.

Instructors

Angela Rose Dorantes

Beginning at the age of four, ANGELA ROSE DORANTES studied tap, ballet, jazz, and tumbling at Betty May Studio with teachers Eileen Baldwin, Avilee Goodwin, June Sturn and Betty May herself. Over the course of the next 15 years, Angela spent more time in the studio than at home, studying her craft and working as demonstrator, assistant teacher, and eventually head instructor.

Angela also trained with Jacques d’Amboise and Emily Keeler with the Event of the Year’s 1986  Jump Team at the San Francisco Opera House and under Elvia Marta at San Francisco School of the Arts, where she was honored with the S.O.T.A. Dance Achievement Award in 1993. Since 1994 Angela has worked as the dance director for Kid Stock Inc., a musical theater program for children, and in 2001 trained the Pop Warner Brown Bombers dance team taking 3rd place in the 2001 National Dance competition. She has also performed with a number of Bay Area dance troupes. 

Angela completed Foundation training with Shana Meyerson in Spring 2013 and is certified through mini yogis to teach yoga to children ages 3-11.  Angela founded Steppin’ Out Dance with Avilee Goodwin in 1995, and became the studio’s sole director in 2010. She is thrilled to continue passing on the gift of dance as well as serve the community that has given so much to her over the years.

Erin Coyne

ERIN COYNE is currently a San Francisco-based dancer and choreographer. Originally from the Chicago area, Erin began her training under Joshua Manculich, Lizzie MacKenzie, Eddy Ocampo, and Angelina Familara. From there, she went on to graduate from the University of Minnesota with her Masters in Education, BA in Dance, and BS in Elementary Education. While at University, she performed works by Maurya Kerr, Justin Jones, and Martha Graham repertoire, and studied under the instruction of renowned artists Toni Pierce-Sands, Erin Thompson, Carl Flink, and Ananya Chatterjea. Erin's choreography has been presented at various venues in Minneapolis, Chicago, and the Bay Area. As a teacher, she has taught both in Elementary Education as a 4th grade teacher and at many dance studios in the Midwest. Most recently, she collaborated with a local music artist and presented their work in a self-produced virtual showcase. Erin is thrilled to join the Steppin' Out Dance community and connect with the growing minds of dance!

Claire Fisher

CLAIRE FISHER was born and raised in Tracy, California. She trained at The Academy of Performing Arts under the direction of Deborah Skinner until the age of 16. Claire moved to San Francisco to train in the LINES Ballet Training Program and San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. She has participated in summer programs such as Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Northwest Dance Project, Alonzo King LINES Ballet and San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. From then on she has freelanced around the Bay Area working with choreographers, companies and colleagues including Bellwethers Dance Project, dazaun.dance, Fullstop Dance, Garrett + Moulton Productions, Liv Schaffer, Nicole von Arx, and RAWdance. Claire is currently teaching ballet at Steppin’ Out to students ranging from 4-18 years old. 

Amber Gott

AMBER GOTT is originally from London, UK and is a recent graduate of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. She feels lucky to have received excellent dance teachings, choreographic opportunities and learn pedagogical practices while training at the Conservatory. Since moving to San Francisco she has been dancing with Kinetech Arts and MFDP|SF. She is very excited to be joining the Steppin’ Out team for the season. 

Emily Hansel

EMILY HANSEL is a San Francisco-based dancer, choreographer, dance teacher, arts administrator, and artist advocate. Originally from Rochester, Minnesota, Emily received their BFA in Dance from the University of South Florida. Emily currently dances for Post:ballet, SFDanceworks, Christy Funsch, Mark Foehringer Dance Project, and Rebecca Fitton Projects. Emily has also performed Cunningham repertory in “Signals from the West: Bay Area Artists In Conversation with Merce Cunningham at 100” and danced with Robert Moses’ KIN, Garrett-Moulton Productions, David Herrera Performance Company, Jennifer Perfilio, FACT/SF, and ZiRu Dance, among others. Emily’s choreographic work has been commissioned by a variety of companies and presented at numerous venues throughout the Bay Area. Emily recently received an SF Artist award from the SF Arts Commission, an ODC Theater RDI Award, and was named an Individual Artist Fellow by the California Arts Council. Emily occasionally teaches open classes and workshops for professional dancers and for seven years has taught ballet and contemporary to students ages 3 through 18 at Berkeley Ballet Theater, the ODC School, Steppin' Out Dance Studio, and other schools.

Abigail Hinson

ABIGAIL HINSON has pursued dance since she was twelve, from the East Coast of Florida to the West Coast of California. With a strong passion for teaching, Abigail has brought styles including ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, modern, contemporary, improvisation, and yoga to students as young as two all the way to adults. Abigail graduated from The University of South Florida with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance and has performed in choreography by Robert Moses, Andee Scott, Michael Foley, Bliss Kohlmyer, Charles Anderson, Jennifer Archibald, among others. She has participated and worked at several intensives and workshops including The Joffrey Ballet School, American Ballet Theatre, Alonzo Lines Discovery Project, Florida Dance Festival, World of Dance, Potsdamer Tanztage, Kavin Grant: The Company Experience, and American College Dance Association. Abigail also enjoys choreographing for stage and film. In her most recent contemporary work, “To Fall,” premiering in Central Florida Choreographers Project Film 2021, Abigail reflects on the physical, psychological, and emotional effects of COVID-19 with a cast of four.